Sliding base can opener



Jan- 8, 1957 R. A. WITHERS 2,776,476

SLIDING BASE CAN OPENER Filed April 16, 1956 1&2- I 1,

l INVENTOR.

JBWMONDA. W/ZHERS.

United P States Patent 2,776,476 SLIDING BASE CAN OPENER Raymond A.Withers, Belmont, Calif.

Application April 16, 1956, Serial No. 578,355

7 Claims. (CI. 30-10) This invention relates to improvements incan-opening devices and has particular reference to those can-openingdevices of the character in which the end of a can is punctured toprovide a pouring opening for liquid contents.

The principal object of this invention is to provide an improvement incan-opening devices of the character having a pinch-pin-positionedcutter head and/or can support as illustrated and claimed in my issuePatent No. 2,722,737, dated May 8, 1955, and entitled Sliding CanOpener.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improvement by whichmovement of the cutter head or can support, such as would tend torelease the cutter head or can support is prevented when a punchingforce is applied to a can in the can-opening operation.

In my prior patent, there is shown a can-punching device in which acan-perforating cutter and/ or a can-supporting member are slidablymounted upon a vertically mounted wall bracket and secured by an off-setpinch pin arrangement that will prevent a sliding movement thereofduring a can perforating operation. It has been found that in someinstances and with certain types of cans, the pressures exerted upon acan during the perforating operation, are such that the blade-supportingmember or the can-supporting member may be displaced from their normaloperating position and thus render the pinch pin securing meansineifective.

It is, therefore, a further object of this invention to provide means inthe form of a slidable can-engaging member that will function to preventa pinch pin releasing movement of the can-punching element or cansupport when pressure is applied thereto in puncturing .a

can.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be in part evident tothose skilled in the art and in part pointed out in connection with theaccompanying drawings, wherein there is shown by way of illustration andnot of limitation, a preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and inwhich like numbers are employed to designate like parts throughout thesame,

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side elevation with portions broken away showingthe invention as applied to the cutter carrying member of a can opener;

Fig. 2 is a front view of the device as shown in Pig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view showing details of construction;7

Fig. 4 is a side view of the invention as applied to an adjustablecan-supporting member for a can-punching device of the charactercontemplated;

Fig. 5 is a front view of the device as shown in Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged'fragmentary view showing details of the deviceillustrated in Fig. 4 of the drawing.

For a better understanding of my invention, reference is now made totheaccompanying drawing wherein I have shown my invention as applied toa can-punching device of the type illustrated in my aforesaid priorpatent and in whilch a can-cutting or punching element 10 and/or or acan-supporting element 11 are mounted for movement along a commonsupporting rod 12 and respectively held in operative positions thereuponby oppositely disposed pinch pins 13 and 14 Which grip the supportingrod and operate to hold the can-punching element 10 and/or thecan-supporting element 11 in a fixed position upon said supporting rod12 when a can is positioned hereupon for a punching operation.

The supporting rod 12 is here shown as of channel cross-section andflattened and offset at its extreme ends as a means for mounting upon awall or other surface by means of screws 15. The can-punching element 10as here shown carries a can-punching blade 16 which has an operatinghandle 17 and is pivotally mounted upon an axis 18 below the pinch pins13.

With this arrangement, it will be seen that as the blade 16 enters intothe end of a can, the final movement of the cutting blade 16 will exerta lateral force upon the can which may tend to rock the can-punchingelement 10 about a fulcrum established upon the supporting rod 12 by theright hand pinch pin 13. Should any such rocking of the element 10occur, it will be seen that the pinch pins 13 will be renderedineffective as a means for holding the can punching blade 16 in anoperative position with respect to a can to be punctured.

As a means for rendering the pinch pins 13 effective in holding thecan-punching element 10 against movement along the supporting rod 12when not in use, I provide a plunger 19 which is held in frictionalengagement with the supporting rod 12 at a point below the pinch pins 13by a spring 20.

The blade-supporting element 10 is also provided with thumb pads 21 bywhich the action of the plunger 19 and the spring 20 may be overcomewhen it is desired to adjust the position of the can-punching element 10upon the supporting rod 12.

With this arrangement, it will be seen that by applying pressure to thethumb pads 21, the operator may cant the cutter blade element 10 in aclockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 1 of the drawing and thus releasethe bight of the pinch pins 13 upon the supporting rod 12. The bladecarrying member 10 can then be moved upwardly or downwardly intocooperating relation with the top of a can positioned upon thecan-supporting element 11. When the cutter blade 16 is thus brought intopunching relation against the top of a can, with its operating lever 17in a raised position, it will be seen that as the cutter blade 16 entersinto the can, the forces exerted upon the can will change from adownward direction to a lateral direction. Under some circumstances, ithas been found that this lateral force some times results in a cantingof the blade-supporting ele ment 111 in the manner above described andthus an inadvertent release in the bight of the pinch pins 13 upon thesupporting rods 12 and the result is an imperfect punching of the can.

To avoid the above possibility, I have by my present invention, as ismore clearly shown in Fig. 3 of the drawing, provided a means that willavoid this difficulty. This feature, comprises a slidable abutment 22which is here shown as mounted upon the blade-carrying element 10 andabove the spring-pressed plunger 19 in such a manner that it will beengaged by the side of a can positioned under the can-punching blade 16.The dimension and movement of the slidable abutment 22 is such that theslightest lateral movement of the can being punched will cause the innerend of the slidable abutment 22 to engage the supporting rod 12 and thusprevent the application of any canting force upon the blade-supportingelement 1% which might result in a release thereof from the supportingrod 12.

In like manner, with the can-supporting element 11 mounted upon thesupporting rod 12 as shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6 of the drawings, Iprovide a spring-pressed plunger 23, that is located above the pinchpins 14 so that the bight of these pinch pins 14 upon the supporting rod12 is maintained and eifective to prevent a downward movement of ashelf-like can-supporting element 11 prior to the placing of a canthereupon. At this point, it will be seen that when a can-punching forceis exerted upon the supporting element 11 through a can there will alsobe a tendency for the bottom of the can to move laterally when beingpunched. Therefore, to avoid any canting of the can-supporting element11 which would release the bight of the pinch pins 14 upon thesupporting rod 12, I provide a slidable abutment 24 at this point whichwill engage the side of the can and be moved inwardly into contact withthe supporting rod 12 in the manner similar to that described for theslidable abutment 22. This will prevent any inadvertent canting of thecan-supporting element 11 that would release the bight of the pinch pins14 and thus permit the cansupporting element 11 to drop into anineffective position. The particular can-supporting element 11 is hereshown as having two spaced bracket-like extensions 25 upon which thebottom of the can is adapted to rest when undergoing a punchingoperation.

While I have, for the sake of clearness and in order to disclose myinvention so that the same can be readily understood, described andillustrated a specific form and arrangement, I desire to have itunderstood that this invention is not limited to the specific formdisclosed, but may be embodied in other ways that will suggestthemselves to persons skilled in the art. It is to be understood thatthe form of my invention herewith and described is to be taken as apreferred example of the same. and that various changes relative to thematerial, size, shape and arrangement of parts may be resorted towithout departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of thesubjoined claims. It is believed that this invention is new and all suchchanges as come within the scope of the appended claims are to beconsidered as part of this invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

l. In a can-punching device of the character described, the combinationof a vertically extending rodlike support, a can-supporting member atthe lower end of said support, a slidable mounting for a canpunchingblade having offset laterally extending pinch pins by which saidslidable mounting is held in any de sired position upon said rod-likesupport above said can-supporting member, a can-punching blade having anoperating handle pivotally secured upon said slidable mounting, andmeans carried by said slidable mounting adapted and arranged whenengaged by a can to prevent a pinch pin releasing movement thereof withrespect to said rod-like support during a can-punching operation.

2. In a can-punching device of the character described, the combinationof a vertically extending rodlike support, means for supporting a canadjacent said rod-like support, a slidable can-punching blade-carryingmember having ofl'set laterally extending pinch pins by which it may beheld in any desired position above said can-supporting means, acan-punching blade having an operating handle pivotally secured uponsaid bladecarrying member, and means slidably mounted upon saidblade-carrying member adapted and arranged to be engaged by a can whenundergoing a can-punching operation and prevent a pinch pin releasingmovement of said blade-carrying member as pressure is applied to the canduring a punching operation thereupon.

3. In a can-punching device of the character described,

the combination of a support, a blade-carrying member slidably mountedupon said support, said blade-carrying member having opposed pinch pinsadapted and arranged to retain said blade-carrying member in a fixedposition upon said support, a can-punching blade having an operatinghandle pivotally mounted upon said blade-carrying member and normallyoperating in conjunction with such pinch pins to hold saidblade-carrying member in an operative position upon said support when acan is being punched, spring means upon said blade-carrying member alsooperative to maintain said pinch pins in operating engagement with saidsupporting rod, and means carried by said blade-carrying memberoperative to prevent a release of said blade-carrying member by lateralforce as said can-punching blade completes a can-punching operation.

4. In a can-punching device of the character described, the combinationof a support, a blade-carrying member slidably mounted upon saidsupport, said blade-carrying member having opposed pinch pins adaptedand arranged to retain said blade-carrying member in a fixed positionupon said support, a can-punching blade having an operating handlepivotally mounted upon said bladecarrying member and normally operatingin conjunction with such pinch pins to hold said blade-carrying memberin an operative position upon said support when a can is being punched,spring means upon said blade-carrying member also operative to maintainsaid pinch pins in operating engagement with said supporting rod, and aslidable abutment carried by said blade-carrying member and disposedbetween said support and the wall of a can while being punched operativeto prevent a release of said blade-carrying member as said can-punchingblade completes a can-punching operation.

5. In a can-punching device of the character described, the combinationof a support, a blade-carrying member slidably mounted upon saidsupport, said blade-carrying member having opposed pinch pins adaptedand arranged to retain said blade-carrying member in a fixed positionupon said support, a can-punching blade having an operating handlepivotally mounted upon said blade-carrying member, spring means carriedby said blade-carrying member operative to maintain said pinch pins inoperating engagement with said supporting rod, and a slidable abutmentcarried by said blade-carrying member movable into engagement With saidsupport upon lateral movement of a can while being punched to prevent arelease of said blade-carrying member as said can-punching bladecompletes the can-punching operation.

6. In a canpunching device of the character described, the combinationof a vertically extending rod-like support, a can-supporting member atthe lower end of said support, having offset laterally extending pinchpins by which said member is held in any desired position upon saidrod-like support, and means carried by said can-supporting memberadapted and arranged when engaged by a can to prevent a pinch pinreleasing movement thereof with respect to said rod-like support duringa can-punching operation.

7. In a can-punching device of the character described, the combinationof a rod-like support, a can-supporting shelf slidably mounted upon saidsupport having opposed pinch pins adapted and arranged to retain saidcan-supporting shelf in a fixed position upon said rodlike support,spring means carried by said can-supporting shelf for maintaining saidpinch pins in operating engagement with said rod-like support, and aslidable abutment carried by said can-supporting shelf movable intoengagement with said rod-like support upon lateral movement of acan-supporting shelf and operative to prevent vertical movement of saidshelf' during a canpunching operation.

No references cited.

